Faking It with the Ice Queen (The Ice Queen #3)

Chapter 1

1

M ornings have always been Elara Silver’s favorite time of day. She cherished those few moments before the chaos of the city and the stresses of work drowned out her peace. Softly padding across the room, Elara pulled open the blackout curtains, leaving the sheer white curtains closed. The early morning sun filtered through the sheer panels, casting a soft light across Elara’s pristine bedroom. Everything in her world was orderly: crisp white linens, dark polished floors, and minimalist decor. The quiet hum of the city outside was barely audible through the double-paned windows, exactly how she liked it. Controlled. Predictable.

Near the closet, a soft dove-gray suit hung on a display rack with matching heels carefully placed below. Elara never left anything for the last minute, including picking out what to wear. It was one of her favorite nighttime routines to carefully choose the perfect attire for the next day’s events and weather. Each of her suits was finely tailored, the fabric hugging her long, athletic frame. Every detail exuded confidence and power.

She stood in front of the mirror, carefully styling her hair to perfection, not a strand out of place. Her sharply angled bob was sleek, highlighting her sharp features and even sharper gaze. At forty-five, her once raven-black hair now had silver streaks throughout. Her mother constantly pressured her to have it dyed professionally, but Elara always refused. If men could be respected and powerful with salt-and-pepper hair, then so could she. Running her hands through her hair one last time, Elara stared at her reflection, her icy-blue eyes piercing back at her, cool and composed.

On the nightstand, her phone buzzed, disrupting the calm. Walking over, Elara saw Father flash across the screen. With a resigned sigh, she pressed the speaker button and continued to get dressed for the day.

“Elara.” Her father’s voice boomed, but somehow still dripped with expectation. “We need to talk about this weekend.”

“Everything is set, Father. The driver will pick you up from the airport,” she replied smoothly. Adjusting her collar meticulously, she continued, “I’ve arranged for everyone else’s transportation as well.”

Sighing with exasperation, her father cut her off. “That is not what I called about, and you know it. This family has a reputation to uphold. As the heir to the Silver family fortune, you are expected to continue my legacy. You should be married by now with kids. Like your sister, Catherine. She is ten years younger than you, and yet she has two sons already. I know you don’t date men, but there are ways. Why haven’t you brought someone home yet? You know your brother and sister will both have their spouses at the resort this week. It would be nice if you?—”

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Elara interrupted, “I’ll be bringing someone.”

Her voice was steady, but her jaw was clenched tight in the silence. The pause on the other end of the line seemed to stretch to infinity..

“Really? You never mentioned?—”

“It was meant to be a surprise, Father.” The lie rolled off her tongue without hesitation.

“Well, who is she? What does she do?”

“Father, you will have plenty of time this week to learn all about her. I have to go. If I don’t leave now, I’ll be late,” she said quickly, cutting off his questions before he could dive too deep. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Elara—”

Before he could continue, she quickly hung up. She stared at the phone for a moment, a sinking feeling twisting in her gut. She wasn’t ready for the family’s scrutiny, and she certainly wasn’t ready for their opinion on her love life—or lack thereof.

Slipping on her designer heels, she snatched her phone as she power walked to her Mercedes-Benz. Her neighbor casually waved from across the street as he unlocked his Audi. Elara plastered on a smile, waving back. Living in the fabulous forties involved being surrounded by Sacramento’s elite, which suited Elara just fine. Her cool exterior never felt out of place amongst the upper echelon.

Backing out of her long driveway, guilt began to settle in. It’s not like she lied. She was bringing someone; it just wasn’t a girlfriend. They didn’t have to know that the woman she was bringing was a high-end escort paid to be there.

After quickly navigating downtown traffic, Elara made her way past the skyscrapers lining the Capitol Mall area and pulled into her reserved parking spot in the private lot attached to her building. Glancing at her phone, she could see her mother had already texted, asking about who she was bringing. Feeling her insides twist into a knot, Elara’s fingers hovered over the screen for a moment before tapping out a message.

Can you still make it tonight? Make sure you look the part.

She hit send and tucked the phone into her blazer pocket, taking one last glance at her reflection. The outside world would never know just how perfectly put-together her facade was.

Stepping out the elevator, Elara surveyed the Silver Resorts and Spas corporate office with an eye out for any late employees. If there was one thing Elara could not stand, it was her employees wasting time. The glass walls for each office ensured that no one could claim they were in their office without actually being present. Plus, Elara loved the way the floor-to-ceiling windows let in natural light throughout the space. While she preferred a more modern and minimalist style, Elara also hated to feel closed in. The sunlight and glass walls made the space feel open and bright.

Silver Resorts and Spas was the founding company that started her father’s empire, and had since diversified into real estate and international resorts, forming the Silver International Group. As the eldest child, Elara was entrusted with the foundation company: the American branch of Silver Resorts and Spas. Determined to earn the legacy being handed to her, Elara spent all of her time ensuring they broke profit records each quarter. Every choice she made, every day of her life had been dedicated to proving she could handle becoming CEO of Silver International Group when her father stepped down.

Elara made her way to her corner office, but that tiny bit of pride disappeared when she looked with disdain at her secretary, Grace. The woman stood out like a sore thumb in the refined space Elara had created. Today, Grace was wearing electric-blue high-waisted pants cut off just above her ankles, giving plenty of room to see her bright-pink ballet flats. Tucked into her pants, Grace’s blouse had a dark floral pattern with flowers in fuchsia, purple, and pink. She had highlighted her hazel eyes with blue graphic liner. In Elara’s world of silvers and muted nudes, Grace was a neon sign declaring just how much she did not fit in. Elara did her best to swallow her distaste as Grace smiled brightly at her.

Grace tucked her messy light brown hair behind her ear. “Good morning, Ms. Silver!”

Looking down, Elara nodded.“Grace.” Elara glanced over to the empty boardroom across her office.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Elara turned back to Grace. “Has my nine o’clock shown up yet?”

Grace’s enormous round eyes widened as she nervously looked down at the calendar on her desk.

“Umm…” Grace paused, looking sheepishly up at Elara. She visibly gulped before she gained the confidence to reply. “What nine o’clock?”

Groaning, Elara closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she lost her composure.

“The one I asked you to book yesterday. Which you obviously didn’t do.” Elara clenched her teeth in frustration. “Did you at least confirm with Patrick that the contracts were ready to sign?”

When Grace visibly started shaking, Elara stopped her before she could make excuses.

“I’ll take that as a no. Grace, for the love of god, please call Patrick and reschedule for when I get back from Lake Tahoe.”

“Yes, Ms. Silver. Right on it. I’m so sorry?—”

Before she could hear any more groveling, Elara walked into her office and slammed the door behind her. She stood still just behind the door, counting to ten as she took a few deep breaths to regain her composure.

Grace had only been here for a month, and already the woman had made Elara’s life a nightmare. That was the third meeting in two weeks she had failed to schedule. While she usually gave every employee the full ninety days to attempt to adjust to her high standards before she let anyone go, Elara began to think she could not hold out that long with Grace.

The phone in her pocket buzzed softly. She quickly fished out her phone, hoping for at least some good news today. But fate had other plans. Or at least Chelsea, the escort, did.

Sorry, hun. Plans changed. I won’t be back in town in time.

For a brief moment, Elara stared at her phone, blinking rapidly, jaw slack. Then her world started to spin. She was breathing way too fast, and she knew it.

“No, no, no, no, no, no.”

Panicked, Elara slumped down into her chair, attempting to become small enough to disappear. All Elara could think was why . Her fingers and toes began to tingle, the numbness of despair taking over. Elara flexed her fingers and realized that if she did not get her panic attack in check, she would pass out soon. As she began to slow her breathing down, Elara started running through all the ways she could fix this and came up short. As her world stopped spinning and feeling returned to her fingers, Elara sat up straighter. She looked up and only had one thought. Grace .

Grace. Maybe Grace could come. This could be fixed. It had to be fixed. There was no way she would admit to her family that she had lied about bringing someone. There was one thing her father valued above all else: the truth. His famous words echoed in Elara’s head:

“Give it to me hard. Give it to me fast. Give it to me dirty. But at least have the balls to give it to me straight.”

Victor Silver was known for never giving second chances when it came to lying. Her father could forgive a mistake, though you would never hear the end of it. But a lie? Victor wouldn’t just be disappointed; he’d be furious.

Oh god, her mother. Of course Father told her. Victor and Margaret never kept secrets, especially when it involved their children.

How would she break it to her mother? How could she possibly explain that she would rather lie than hear another lecture about how a woman as successful as Elara should have no trouble finding a partner? How successful families don’t just have marriages; they have arrangements? The thought of hearing about another mogul’s daughter made Elara cringe. No. She would just have to ask Grace.

Elara pushed the intercom and did her best to use her calmest voice.“Grace, please come into my office.”

Through the glass wall, Elara could see Grace slowly stand up and turn toward her. Grace smoothed her hands over her pants as she walked to the door. As she entered the office, she audibly gulped.

“Please put the screen down. I want this to be a private meeting.”

At Elara’s request, Grace walked over to the side of the room and pressed the small button on the wall. As the room slowly darkened, Grace’s hands shook before she clasped them behind her back.

Motioning to the chair in front of her, Elara commanded, “Please sit, Grace.”

The poor woman was on the verge of tears. She probably thought Elara was going to fire her, and it was probably what she should do. She should tell Grace how bad she was at her job and dismiss her. Instead, she was about to ask for an impossible favor.

Elara cleared her throat. “Grace, as you know, we have been planning my parents’ anniversary celebration event for this upcoming week at our Lake Tahoe location.”

Before she could continue, Grace interjected, “Yes! Of course I do. In fact, I just confirmed with the transportation company that they have the flight itineraries for everyone, and?—”

“Grace, stop. That's not why I called you in here.”

Grace’s mouth formed an o , confusion clearly written across her face. Elara briefly closed her eyes and took a deep breath to continue, but as she looked up at Grace, her confidence wavered. Grace was young, artsy, and entirely too innocent. Would she even understand such a request? Elara did her best to say something, but words failed her once more.

Smiling shyly, Grace inquired, “Well, what did you call me in here for? Am I in trouble? I know I forgot to confirm the meeting this morning. I swear it won’t happen again.”

Not wanting Grace or herself to suffer anymore, Elara finally blurted out, “I have a proposition for you. Well, not a proposition. That’s not the right word. An opportunity. A…request.”

At that, Grace sat up a little straighter, clearly relieved to not be in trouble. She smiled once more and chirped, “Sure, Ms. Silver. Anything at all. I’m happy to help you. What do you want me to do?”

Before she could completely lose her nerve, Elara continued, “I would like for you to attend the week-long event with me.”

Bouncing in her chair, Grace gleefully exclaimed, “Of course! I would love to come. I have the whole schedule for the week on my phone already, and I can certainly help keep all the activities on time and organized.”

Grimacing, Elara clarified, “While I appreciate you having the schedule on hand, I’m not asking you to attend as my secretary. I would like you to attend as my girlfriend.”

At this revelation, Grace’s jaw dropped wide open.

Before she could get the wrong idea, Elara quickly amended, “Not my real girlfriend. I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend. I had a…guest who was supposed to attend as my partner. Unfortunately, she is no longer available.

“I need you to come with me this week and pretend to be my girlfriend. My entire family is expecting to meet my new partner, and, well, I just can’t bear to disappoint them.”

Filled with dread and a tingle of nerves, Elara looked into Grace’s eyes, pleading silently that she would agree. Grace continued to sit, her back straight against the chair, her mouth agape. The silence was palpable.

As a skilled negotiator, Elara could tell she was about to lose this deal. She stood up and made her way around the desk to stand directly in front of Grace. Leaning back against the desk, she looked into Grace’s eyes and could see that she was not about to run out of the office. She just had to hook her.

“You’ll be paid handsomely, of course. A thousand dollars a day. You will also be provided clothes to wear, which you may keep.”

Seeing the wheels start to turn in Grace’s mind, Elara plastered on her best deal-closing smile. “The clothes will be designer, of course. And I will pay you for the first day upfront. A thousand dollars in your pocket right now. What do you say?”